The desert warriors: Haute Route Oman
Flat Spoke Media editor-at-large Alan Grant flew to the Sultanate of Oman earlier this year to broaden his cycling horizons and do a bit of climbing in the three-day Haute Route Oman stage race. He went here with a group of people from Athlete Lab, Singapore’s premier cycling studio, and within that bunch were three of his teammates from the Specialized Roval Mavericks racing team. Alan was left awed by Oman and quite impressed by his first exposure to the Haute Route experience. Here's his take on four fantastic days. Images limited to those of Alan bought from the official source.
May 21, 2019
The Haute Route brand of competitive cycling adventures took a first step outside of its comfort zones of Europe and the USA in March of this year with a foray into the Middle East for the Haute Route Oman. For the 200+ riders who travelled from all the world to the three-day event, it delivered a unique cycling adventure set in a culture and on terrain most had never experienced before.
From a cultural point of view, the gracious hospitality of the Omani people, their elegant clothing and the fantastic local food will be the abiding memories, while from the cycling side of things, it’s the sand, mountains and wind that stand out. The sand was expected and what’s a Haute Route without mountains? But an unseasonably strong wind brought an unforeseen extra element of challenge, as it whipped the sand into eyes, ears, noses and throats, and messed with drivetrains, bearings and bottom brackets. High up in the mountains the wind was an even bigger factor. On occasion it provided a helping hand and pushed the riders up the steep slopes, but when blowing head on, it had the effect of adding what felt like an extra degree or two to the already severe gradients. But perhaps it was felt most on the descents as huge gusts blew the unsuspecting cyclists across the road. Indeed, such was the ferocity of the wind that Stage 1 had to be shortened from 84km to 58km. And there weren’t many complaints about that decision. But more on that later.
The Haute Route Oman was centred around the city of Nizwa, which sits some 150km inland from the Omani capital Muscat. During the day Nizwa is an unremarkable semi-urban sprawl hemmed in by a beautifully harsh landscape and an endless string of craggy mountains, but at night, the city bursts into colour, with every building strangely illuminated in bright, garish neon.
The Haute Route brand of competitive cycling adventures took a first step outside of its comfort zones of Europe and the USA in March of this year with a foray into the Middle East for the Haute Route Oman. For the 200+ riders who travelled from all the world to the three-day event, it delivered a unique cycling adventure set in a culture and on terrain most had never experienced before.
From a cultural point of view, the gracious hospitality of the Omani people, their elegant clothing and the fantastic local food will be the abiding memories, while from the cycling side of things, it’s the sand, mountains and wind that stand out. The sand was expected and what’s a Haute Route without mountains? But an unseasonably strong wind brought an unforeseen extra element of challenge, as it whipped the sand into eyes, ears, noses and throats, and messed with drivetrains, bearings and bottom brackets. High up in the mountains the wind was an even bigger factor. On occasion it provided a helping hand and pushed the riders up the steep slopes, but when blowing head on, it had the effect of adding what felt like an extra degree or two to the already severe gradients. But perhaps it was felt most on the descents as huge gusts blew the unsuspecting cyclists across the road. Indeed, such was the ferocity of the wind that Stage 1 had to be shortened from 84km to 58km. And there weren’t many complaints about that decision. But more on that later.
The Haute Route Oman was centred around the city of Nizwa, which sits some 150km inland from the Omani capital Muscat. During the day Nizwa is an unremarkable semi-urban sprawl hemmed in by a beautifully harsh landscape and an endless string of craggy mountains, but at night, the city bursts into colour, with every building strangely illuminated in bright, garish neon.
The headquarters for the three days of racing was the opulent Golden Tulip Hotel, a neon-free oasis of comfort and charm on the outskirts of town. It was here the riders were met with the impressive Haute Route machine as they congregated from the far corners of the world. The Middle East is one of planet Earth’s more turbulent regions, and probably isn’t the first place many people would think of travelling to for a cycling race. But the Haute Route team obviously did their homework well and got the appeal of Oman spot on as over 50 percent of the participants had chosen this particular event for their first Haute Route adventure.
Despite being next door to war-torn Yemen, sharing a long border with the insular state of Saudi Arabia and having the controversial republic of Iran as a maritime neighbour, Oman is the fourth-safest country in the world for visitors according to a 2017 report from the World Economic Forum. And the sultanate is making a big push to position itself as a tourism and sports destination. Just the week before Haute Route Oman saw the country host the UCI ProTour Tour of Oman, while in Muscat there was an Ironman 70.3 triathlon event and the Oman Open Golf Championship taking place on the same weekend as Haute Route. Weather-wise, March is a good time to hold sporting events as the searing temperatures of summer are absent, and it actually gets a bit nippy in the evenings.
The on-site registration for Haute Route Oman was a seamless and chilled process, run by a friendly and enthusiastic team that seemed at times to outnumber the racers. The race briefing had a bit of celebrity entertainment thrown in amid the logistical rundown in the shape of 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button. As well as being a decent cyclist, Button is an easy-going, bubbly character who charmed rather than awed his fellow competitors throughout the long weekend. He ended up finishing 30th overall, meaning 29 people can say they beat a world champion. Ok, wrong sport, but who cares about small details.
Despite being next door to war-torn Yemen, sharing a long border with the insular state of Saudi Arabia and having the controversial republic of Iran as a maritime neighbour, Oman is the fourth-safest country in the world for visitors according to a 2017 report from the World Economic Forum. And the sultanate is making a big push to position itself as a tourism and sports destination. Just the week before Haute Route Oman saw the country host the UCI ProTour Tour of Oman, while in Muscat there was an Ironman 70.3 triathlon event and the Oman Open Golf Championship taking place on the same weekend as Haute Route. Weather-wise, March is a good time to hold sporting events as the searing temperatures of summer are absent, and it actually gets a bit nippy in the evenings.
The on-site registration for Haute Route Oman was a seamless and chilled process, run by a friendly and enthusiastic team that seemed at times to outnumber the racers. The race briefing had a bit of celebrity entertainment thrown in amid the logistical rundown in the shape of 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button. As well as being a decent cyclist, Button is an easy-going, bubbly character who charmed rather than awed his fellow competitors throughout the long weekend. He ended up finishing 30th overall, meaning 29 people can say they beat a world champion. Ok, wrong sport, but who cares about small details.
To the racing itself. The Haute Route Oman consisted of three stages; two open road stages and what looked on paper like a relatively easy time trial to conclude the race on the Sunday morning.
Stage 1
Stage 1 took the riders from the Nizwa race headquarters to the top of Jebel Akhdar, aka the Green Mountain, which sat at 2,022 metres. The stage was just 84km in distance but featured a total elevation gain of over 3,000m. Pre-race, it was definitely the most feared of the three stages thanks to the climb of Jebel Akhdar. The ascent was 14km long at an average gradient of 10.4 percent. Such a climb would be regarded as hors categorie even if it was "just" of the steady variety, but of course it wasn't. Instead it featured a series of killer walls with some pitches well over 20 percent. Dinner-plate cassette cogs abounded in the start pen, and not just the usual 32-tooth variety, plenty of riders had gone for 36s and 40s too. After summiting the Green Mountain at the 33km mark having gained 1,500 metres of elevation, the advertised course then featured a 55km out-and-back section along a ridge which delivered another 1,500m of climbing, before finishing back at the Jebel Akhdar viewpoint.
The unseasonal weather system that had hit the entire southern Arabian Gulf area meant the temperature was a cool 14 degrees Celsius at start time, and a gloomy haze shrouded the huge mountains that the riders were about to head into. A strictly enforced 10km neutralised zone meant the riders hardly had time to warm up before hitting the climb with a bang at the 14km mark. That opening wall of 300m at 15 percent strung out the 200-strong bunch immediately and set the tone for what was a painful hour+ for every single competitor in the race. There is no real respite all the way the top, although the second half of the climb does seem slightly easier. Haute Route Oman rider Thomas Berger now holds the Strava KOM mark at 64 minutes ... the climb is so tough that the pro cyclists who take on the Green Mountain every year in the UCI Tour of Oman always finish their race halfway up.
Stage 1
Stage 1 took the riders from the Nizwa race headquarters to the top of Jebel Akhdar, aka the Green Mountain, which sat at 2,022 metres. The stage was just 84km in distance but featured a total elevation gain of over 3,000m. Pre-race, it was definitely the most feared of the three stages thanks to the climb of Jebel Akhdar. The ascent was 14km long at an average gradient of 10.4 percent. Such a climb would be regarded as hors categorie even if it was "just" of the steady variety, but of course it wasn't. Instead it featured a series of killer walls with some pitches well over 20 percent. Dinner-plate cassette cogs abounded in the start pen, and not just the usual 32-tooth variety, plenty of riders had gone for 36s and 40s too. After summiting the Green Mountain at the 33km mark having gained 1,500 metres of elevation, the advertised course then featured a 55km out-and-back section along a ridge which delivered another 1,500m of climbing, before finishing back at the Jebel Akhdar viewpoint.
The unseasonal weather system that had hit the entire southern Arabian Gulf area meant the temperature was a cool 14 degrees Celsius at start time, and a gloomy haze shrouded the huge mountains that the riders were about to head into. A strictly enforced 10km neutralised zone meant the riders hardly had time to warm up before hitting the climb with a bang at the 14km mark. That opening wall of 300m at 15 percent strung out the 200-strong bunch immediately and set the tone for what was a painful hour+ for every single competitor in the race. There is no real respite all the way the top, although the second half of the climb does seem slightly easier. Haute Route Oman rider Thomas Berger now holds the Strava KOM mark at 64 minutes ... the climb is so tough that the pro cyclists who take on the Green Mountain every year in the UCI Tour of Oman always finish their race halfway up.
The Green Mountain incidentally, doesn't exactly live up to its name, as the terrain seemed to be a uniform beige with splashes of brown and grey. The still sunless sky must have been keeping their colour from view.
Up on the exposed ridge, the weather if anything had worsened, with even some light rain accompanying the now noticeably stronger winds that were blowing riders across the road, especially on the short descents. Indeed, the winds were so strong that the riders stopping to refuel at the post-climb feed station discovered that the stage had been shortened. Gusts in excess of 50kph were buffeting the climb to the turnaround at Hayl al Hadab, which sat at an elevation of 2,300m. As the descent from Hayl al Hadab had already been flagged pre-race as dangerous and neutralised, the organisers understandably took a safety-first approach and just took it out completely.
The leaders didn't get this news, though, until shortly before they hit the new turnaround at the 45km mark. This left just a mad-dash 13km to the finish line, but by then Frenchman Guillaume Bourgeois already had a decent lead and he took the win comfortably in a time of two hours, two minutes and one second. The Aussie Adrian White followed some 90 seconds later, with Berger third a further two minutes back. The women's win went to Helen Sharp of England with a time of 2:39:40. Stella Chen He from China was the runner-up, with another with another Brit, Emma Kennedy in third.
Up on the exposed ridge, the weather if anything had worsened, with even some light rain accompanying the now noticeably stronger winds that were blowing riders across the road, especially on the short descents. Indeed, the winds were so strong that the riders stopping to refuel at the post-climb feed station discovered that the stage had been shortened. Gusts in excess of 50kph were buffeting the climb to the turnaround at Hayl al Hadab, which sat at an elevation of 2,300m. As the descent from Hayl al Hadab had already been flagged pre-race as dangerous and neutralised, the organisers understandably took a safety-first approach and just took it out completely.
The leaders didn't get this news, though, until shortly before they hit the new turnaround at the 45km mark. This left just a mad-dash 13km to the finish line, but by then Frenchman Guillaume Bourgeois already had a decent lead and he took the win comfortably in a time of two hours, two minutes and one second. The Aussie Adrian White followed some 90 seconds later, with Berger third a further two minutes back. The women's win went to Helen Sharp of England with a time of 2:39:40. Stella Chen He from China was the runner-up, with another with another Brit, Emma Kennedy in third.
As the leaders were finishing, the 200+ other desert warriors were still out on the road battling the gradients and the weather on the exposed ridge. Even the shortened version of the course featured more tough climbing, including pitches of 1km at 10 percent and 2km at 8 percent. And the wind was still playing havoc, especially on the descents when riders were being blown right across the road. Pity the racers who were in the group with Jenson Button. A man used to driving cars at 300kph doesn't blink an eye at bombing down descents at 80kph on a bike, gale force winds or not.
Eventually everybody crossed the finish line but most didn’t hang around in the finish zone too long as getting out of the cold and wind trumped the smorgasbord of delights on offer. Luckily the descent back down the Green Mountain was quite sheltered from the wind, and with the racing over for the day, the option was there for the riders to make stops on the way down in order to properly take in the majesty around them.
Stage 2
The riders awoke to a much clearer day and the mountain ranges they were about to ride into were much more visible than they had been the previous day. Ahead was an out-and-back affair with a total distance of 145km and elevation gain of 2,320m. But while the Stage 1 climb had hit the riders slap bang in the face before they’d had time to warm up properly, the Stage 2 climb didn’t come until after 50km of predominantly flat terrain. There was just the one climb, up a mountain called Jebel Haat, and it was 23km in length. While nowhere near as steep as the Green Mountain beast, it still had an average gradient of 6 percent as it rose to elevation of 2,000m, and with legs softened from the day before was sure to set a stern test for the riders. Climb done, the riders would then turn around and retrace their outward journey to the finish line outside the Golden Tulip.
Eventually everybody crossed the finish line but most didn’t hang around in the finish zone too long as getting out of the cold and wind trumped the smorgasbord of delights on offer. Luckily the descent back down the Green Mountain was quite sheltered from the wind, and with the racing over for the day, the option was there for the riders to make stops on the way down in order to properly take in the majesty around them.
Stage 2
The riders awoke to a much clearer day and the mountain ranges they were about to ride into were much more visible than they had been the previous day. Ahead was an out-and-back affair with a total distance of 145km and elevation gain of 2,320m. But while the Stage 1 climb had hit the riders slap bang in the face before they’d had time to warm up properly, the Stage 2 climb didn’t come until after 50km of predominantly flat terrain. There was just the one climb, up a mountain called Jebel Haat, and it was 23km in length. While nowhere near as steep as the Green Mountain beast, it still had an average gradient of 6 percent as it rose to elevation of 2,000m, and with legs softened from the day before was sure to set a stern test for the riders. Climb done, the riders would then turn around and retrace their outward journey to the finish line outside the Golden Tulip.
The first 10km were again neutralised, and any riders dreaming of a relatively sedate journey to the foot of the climb were soon awoken from their reverie as the hammer quickly went down. Some 5km into the racing a small, shallow slope on the highway, a mere bump compared to the magnificent mountains around it, was also taken at full blast and threatened the cohesion of the big bunch. The long, straight run down the other side allowed most of the riders to regain touch with the peloton, but when the route turned 90 degrees right shortly afterwards, havoc appeared in the form of a nasty crosswind. The early-season UCI tours of Oman, Qatar and the UAE are notorious for their crosswinds resulting in bunch-busting echelons, and the same thing occurred now in the Haute Route Oman. When the dust had settled, only some 40 riders were left at the front of the race.
The race briefing had mentioned to take care as the riders hit the ancient village of Tanuf with its narrow twisting roads, but it hardly figured to be a decisive point. One man thought otherwise, and Nol van Loon of the Singapore-based Specialized Roval Mavericks racing team decided this was the perfect place to attack. The big Dutchman earned his cycling chops in the gale-strewn flatlands of the Netherlands and so took to the task of tearing through the windy desert alone with relish. No doubt helped by a disinclined peloton that thought a solo break before a 23km climb was madness, van Loon had built a seven-minute advantage by the time he reached the base of mountain. Would it be enough to claim the summit honours?
The race briefing had mentioned to take care as the riders hit the ancient village of Tanuf with its narrow twisting roads, but it hardly figured to be a decisive point. One man thought otherwise, and Nol van Loon of the Singapore-based Specialized Roval Mavericks racing team decided this was the perfect place to attack. The big Dutchman earned his cycling chops in the gale-strewn flatlands of the Netherlands and so took to the task of tearing through the windy desert alone with relish. No doubt helped by a disinclined peloton that thought a solo break before a 23km climb was madness, van Loon had built a seven-minute advantage by the time he reached the base of mountain. Would it be enough to claim the summit honours?
While not as steep as the wall that welcomed the riders on Stage 1, the start of the Jebel Haat climb was another ramp of vertical pain and so when the peloton hit it, the bunch immediately fragmented into smaller groups. Luckily it eased off after about 1km and from there the climb could best be described as a series of steps, some steeper than others, with even a few short descents thrown into the mix. Still, it was a long slog, but the astounding beauty of the stark surroundings provided a reward for the effort being put in.
While many/most of the competitors laboured up the mountain, the skinny climbers who had dominated Stage 1 were in their element on Jebel Haat and Bourgeois, Berger and White all ate into van Loon’s big lead, but they couldn’t quite catch him, so the Dutchman took the KOM honours and had over a minute cushion before the run for home.
The wind hadn’t been as big a factor on the climb compared to the previous day, but as the road approached the summit it came back with a vengeance and if anything the gusts seemed stronger at the mountain-top feed zone.
Like with most Haute Route events, the descent of Jebel Haat was untimed, meaning the riders didn’t have to rush to refuel and could absorb the stunning vista that was spread out before them. The untimed descent meant groups of friends could wait for each other, ride down together then work as a team when the clock was turned back on for the 50km dash back to the finish line.
While many/most of the competitors laboured up the mountain, the skinny climbers who had dominated Stage 1 were in their element on Jebel Haat and Bourgeois, Berger and White all ate into van Loon’s big lead, but they couldn’t quite catch him, so the Dutchman took the KOM honours and had over a minute cushion before the run for home.
The wind hadn’t been as big a factor on the climb compared to the previous day, but as the road approached the summit it came back with a vengeance and if anything the gusts seemed stronger at the mountain-top feed zone.
Like with most Haute Route events, the descent of Jebel Haat was untimed, meaning the riders didn’t have to rush to refuel and could absorb the stunning vista that was spread out before them. The untimed descent meant groups of friends could wait for each other, ride down together then work as a team when the clock was turned back on for the 50km dash back to the finish line.
King of Jebel Haat van Loon decided to wait for his three teammates rather than descend with the other leaders and with hindsight he probably regretted that decision. When the foursome set out with a half dozen other riders for that final 50km, it quickly became apparent the van Loon was way stronger than everybody else in the group. He had to do most of the work himself and such was the tailwind-assisted pace he set that only a few of the other riders could even contribute a turn. The rest were just trying to hang on, but eventually they all dropped off one by one, leaving the Dutchman to time trial the last 10km. His efforts were rewarded, though, as when he crossed the line his cumulative total of 3:30:27 for the two timed sections was faster than the runner-up Bourgeois, but only by the tiny margin of five seconds. Berger was third on the day, a further six seconds back. Van Loon’s emotions were a mix of joy and relief, and he remarked how strange it was to win a race by not crossing the line first.
Sharp made it two in row in the women’s race, her time of 4:12:09 being 11 minutes faster than the runner-up He. Lisbeth Gruppen of the Netherlands was third.
Stage 3 Oman
To close out the race, the organisers had opted for a short individual time trial. Being Haute Route, the course obviously had to include a climb, but on paper the stage didn’t seem too tough a task, just 9.3km in length and 359m in elevation gain, with the first half flat and a 4km climb at 5 percent to finish off. It was also mentioned at the race briefing that the first half was technical in places.
Sharp made it two in row in the women’s race, her time of 4:12:09 being 11 minutes faster than the runner-up He. Lisbeth Gruppen of the Netherlands was third.
Stage 3 Oman
To close out the race, the organisers had opted for a short individual time trial. Being Haute Route, the course obviously had to include a climb, but on paper the stage didn’t seem too tough a task, just 9.3km in length and 359m in elevation gain, with the first half flat and a 4km climb at 5 percent to finish off. It was also mentioned at the race briefing that the first half was technical in places.
It was an extra early rise for all as the riders were bussed out to the stage start in the village of Al Hamra, a 400-year-old settlement some 50km from Nizwa. The finish line sat high above at the end of a road that snaked up a mountain to another picture-postcard village called Misfat Al Abriyyin. With the wind taking the morning off and no dusty haze shrouding the blue skies, the mountains were displayed in their full splendour for the ITT.
Haute Route prides itself on giving its participants a glimpse into how it might feel to race in the Tour de France and it certainly delivered on that front for the ITT ... at least for the stage start area. A ProTour standard start ramp and associated infrastructure had been erected overnight and the mustering area was buzzing as the riders prepared for their race of truth. The test turned out to be a lot more difficult than had been implied, though, and the first half of the route was probably as technical, and perhaps as dangerous, as any time trial course that has ever been created. A liberal sprinkling of nasty speed bumps, narrow streets, blind corners, a sharp downhill right-hander into a roundabout, parked cars, wandering goats and marshals allowing vehicles onto the course even though the riders were coming at 20-second intervals, made it a test of wills as well as of speed and handling ability. This so-called flat opening part of the course also contained two vicious little kickers that had been represented on the stage profile as a pair of barely perceptible bumps.
Haute Route prides itself on giving its participants a glimpse into how it might feel to race in the Tour de France and it certainly delivered on that front for the ITT ... at least for the stage start area. A ProTour standard start ramp and associated infrastructure had been erected overnight and the mustering area was buzzing as the riders prepared for their race of truth. The test turned out to be a lot more difficult than had been implied, though, and the first half of the route was probably as technical, and perhaps as dangerous, as any time trial course that has ever been created. A liberal sprinkling of nasty speed bumps, narrow streets, blind corners, a sharp downhill right-hander into a roundabout, parked cars, wandering goats and marshals allowing vehicles onto the course even though the riders were coming at 20-second intervals, made it a test of wills as well as of speed and handling ability. This so-called flat opening part of the course also contained two vicious little kickers that had been represented on the stage profile as a pair of barely perceptible bumps.
For most of the riders it was almost a relief to get out of the village and onto the day’s vertical challenge. It was way tougher than expected, but no complaints there, Haute Route climbs are supposed to be hard. That average gradient of 5 percent might have been correct, but hidden within that number were a series of steep ramps and hairpins. Being relatively short in distance, the climb was ridden by most at full gas, which left a lot of completely spent riders crossing the finish line. Just as it should be in a time trial. The adjacent images show the published profile, which has clearly been stretched, and the properly-scaled graph from Strava. Haute Route courses are expected to be difficult so why not just be up front with the Stage 3 profile rather than play head games with the riders? Pre-race the talk was on who the course suited most, Stage 1 winner and pure climber Bourgeois, or Stage 2 champ van Loon, who had shown his prowess on the flat and backed it up with a decent climb up Jebel Haat? It turned out to be neither of those two, as the Stage 3 honours went to White. The Aussie recorded a time of 21 minutes, 15 seconds to win by an impressive19 seconds from Bourgeois, with van Loon in third a further 13 seconds back. The relatively tight margins meant no change on the final GC picture, with Bourgeois crowned the inaugural Haute Route Oman champion from White in second and Berger in third. |
Sharp made it three stages out of three in the women’s race, posting a time for the ITT of 26:36, to take the overall title in dominating fashion. He from China had to settle for second for the third day in a row, which also made her runner-up on the GC, while a new name to the virtual podium Isora Sosa Cabellero of Spain took third in the time trial. Gruppen finished third on the final GC.
The early start and finish to the ITT left the riders with the option of returning to the Golden Tulip for the race-ending feast and prize-giving ceremonies by bus or to ride back. Those that opted for the former got to take in at leisure the majestic desert landscape and mountains one last time. The final meal back at the Golden Tulip really was a feast, as was the post-ride feed every day. The Omanis like their hummus and have found a way of making endless different but always delicious dishes featuring the chickpea and tahini dip. The amazing range of salads and grilled meats were also to die for, but any talk about the food of Haute Route Oman can't be complete without mentioning dates. There were literally piles of the freshest, stickiest, sweetest dates known to man or women just lying around on every surface at the Golden Tulip.
The early start and finish to the ITT left the riders with the option of returning to the Golden Tulip for the race-ending feast and prize-giving ceremonies by bus or to ride back. Those that opted for the former got to take in at leisure the majestic desert landscape and mountains one last time. The final meal back at the Golden Tulip really was a feast, as was the post-ride feed every day. The Omanis like their hummus and have found a way of making endless different but always delicious dishes featuring the chickpea and tahini dip. The amazing range of salads and grilled meats were also to die for, but any talk about the food of Haute Route Oman can't be complete without mentioning dates. There were literally piles of the freshest, stickiest, sweetest dates known to man or women just lying around on every surface at the Golden Tulip.
Even without the culinary delights, the inaugural Haute Route Oman was an undoubted success and it’s sure to return bigger and better in 2020. Was it perfect? Perhaps not. The out-and-back courses are atypical of what Haute Route normally offers, and many riders opined that they’d like to see more than one main climb on the open-road stages. There are so many mountains in the wider Nizwa region that hopefully the organisers will deliver a few changes for next year, and surely they’ll modify the time trial course.
Maybe the mechanical support needs another look too. Revolution Cycles from Dubai did a great of supporting the Haute Route Oman, but one little bike shop from Dubai certainly cannot be compared with the silver service Mavic provides for the classic Haute Route adventures in Europe. The entry fees are for Haute Route Oman are in the same ballpark for the three-day Haute Route races in Europe, so participants surely deserve the same level of support.
But let's leave the Haute Route Oman on a upbeat note. The inaugural edition was an overwhelmingly positive experience and any cyclist considering doing an "exotic" cycling race/event should give strong thought to the Haute Route Oman. And be sure to tag on a few days after the race to further explore the amazing country and experience the Omani hospitality.
Click on the following link to find out more about the event, https://www.hauteroute.org/events/overview/oman-2019
Maybe the mechanical support needs another look too. Revolution Cycles from Dubai did a great of supporting the Haute Route Oman, but one little bike shop from Dubai certainly cannot be compared with the silver service Mavic provides for the classic Haute Route adventures in Europe. The entry fees are for Haute Route Oman are in the same ballpark for the three-day Haute Route races in Europe, so participants surely deserve the same level of support.
But let's leave the Haute Route Oman on a upbeat note. The inaugural edition was an overwhelmingly positive experience and any cyclist considering doing an "exotic" cycling race/event should give strong thought to the Haute Route Oman. And be sure to tag on a few days after the race to further explore the amazing country and experience the Omani hospitality.
Click on the following link to find out more about the event, https://www.hauteroute.org/events/overview/oman-2019